The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has chosen CSNDC’s Clean Energy Program as one of twenty efforts it is highlighting on its website that bring energy efficiency and renewable energy to low-income communities.
CSNDC developed its Clean Energy Program in 2013 to help residents in Codman Square and South Dorchester reduce their energy use and related expenses. The Clean Energy Program includes an Energy Efficiency Program, a Rooftop Solar Program, and an Energy Ambassador Program. The Energy Efficiency Program offers energy retrofit education and refers residents directly to its partners (All In Energy, a nonprofit; Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), a nonprofit; or Mass Save, a collaborative of energy utilities and energy efficiency service providers) which provide low- or no-cost energy assessments and retrofits. The Rooftop Solar Program offers referrals to its partner Resonant Energy.
The program recently shifted its focus to removing barriers to service and ensuring accessibility. As part of this effort, it added a resident-to-resident outreach program called the Energy Ambassador Program, which builds community trust in clean energy service offerings by enlisting residents to connect with their neighbors and neighborhood associations to promote the Clean Energy Program’s referrals to service providers. To compensate ambassadors, CSDNC provides a small stipend or a home rehab grant through funding from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), a state economic development agency. To qualify for the home rehab grants, residents must be considered low-income, which program administrators define using Area Median Income standards set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
CSNDC also works to connect small businesses (i.e., those with fewer than five employees) to energy efficiency resources. With support from their primary partner Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC), CSNDC runs a technical assistance program for small businesses and encourages them to utilize Mass Save’s energy efficiency resources for businesses.
Click HERE to read the profile about CSNDC’s Clean Energy Program on the EPA’s website
